Geoffrey Cox warns EU chiefs ‘the future of Europe is in both our hands’ as 75 per cent of voters blame bickering MPs for Brexit chaos
BREXIT broker Geoffrey Cox has cranked up the pressure on EU chiefs by warning them: “The future of Europe is in both our hands.”
The dogged law chief has held nothing back in his bid to clinch a last-gasp deal that will win the backing of MPs.
He bluntly told chief Brussels negotiator Michel Barnier failure to deliver a clean departure would have devastating consequences for the whole continent.
His straight-talking seemed to be paying off as Brussels gave the clearest sign yet of a willingness to break the deadlock.
He signalled Brussels is ready to give Britain further “guarantees, assurances and clarifications” the hated Irish backstop will only be temporary.
With 26 days to go to Brexit, it raised a glimmer of hope Mr Cox could return with a deal in time to avoid a damaging delay to our departure date.
The revelation came as an exclusive Sun on Sunday poll revealed two in five voters would find any postponement unacceptable. Three in four blame bickering MPs for the Brexit chaos and many say MPs trying to thwart the process are a “complete and utter disgrace”.
Brexiteer Mr Cox, dubbed Mufasa after the Lion King character by fellow ministers because of his booming voice, spent most of last week locked in talks with Mr Barnier.
IT'S IN OUR HANDS
During a brief return to London, the Attorney General told pals both sides were fully aware of the consequences of failure.
A Tory source said: “Geoffrey said he keeps hammering home the message that intransigence will be the road to disaster for both Britain and the EU.
“He said he had told Michel Barnier the future not only of the UK but the whole of Europe was in their hands and they had to find a way to end the stalemate for the sake of many millions of people.”
In a sign that talks were going amicably, Mr Cox also revealed: “It’s all done in a friendly but business-like manner. They are not monsters.”
Mr Cox is trying to find a legally-binding solution to ease Brexiteer fears that the backstop is a trap to keep the UK tied to the EU indefinitely.
'THE EU'S NEGOTIATORS ARE NOT MONSTERS'
In an interview with German newspaper Die Welt yesterday, Mr Barnier said: “We know there are misgivings in Britain that the backstop could keep Britain forever connected to the EU.
“This is not the case. And we are ready to give further guarantees, assurances and clarifications that the backstop should only be temporary.”
If the pair break the deadlock, Theresa May could bring her deal back to the Commons before the scheduled date on March 12.
Allies of the PM say there are signs that hardline Eurosceptics may now be willing to rally behind it to avoid the threat of Brexit-wrecking MPs voting down a No Deal Brexit and opting for a delay which could pave the way for a second referendum.
But even if the deal goes through, a “technical extension” of up to two months may be needed to pass all the legislation required for withdrawal.
Mrs May has said that if her deal is rejected by Parliament, MPs will be able to vote on whether the UK can leave in a No Deal scenario, and if that is rejected, the Commons can decide on whether to extend Article 50 and delay Brexit for a limited period.
Most people believe Mrs May’s decision to give Brexit-wrecking MPs the chance to vote for a delay is a “complete and utter betrayal”, according to a OnePoll survey for The Sun on Sunday.
Some 26 per cent say the PM should deliver Brexit on time as promised, even if it means leaving without a deal.
Only 17 per cent believe a short delay of two or three months is acceptable — but only if she is able to improve her deal. And 13 per cent think a delay is a ploy to prolong the process for a second referendum or another way of keeping Britain in the EU.
Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, a supporter of Brexit-backing group Change Britain, said: “These MPs are not only frustrating the votes of 17.4million people, they’re also betraying the wishes of their own constituents.
MOST READ IN BREXIT
"A politician’s job is to represent the views of voters, not to ignore them because they think the public got it wrong.”
MPs’ handling of the process is described as a “complete and utter disgrace” by 46 per cent of voters and a further 29 per cent say most of them don’t believe in Brexit and are trying to frustrate the referendum result.
Only 11 per cent believe MPs are doing their best in difficult circumstances.
'It's our duty to vote for PM's deal and protect jobs and businesses from No Deal catastrophe'
By Robert Halfron, MP for Harlow, former skills minister and chair of the Commons education committee
OK, I hold my hands up. I voted Remain in 2016.
But once the votes were cast and the clear result was Leave, I knew it was my duty as an MP to follow the people’s instruction. It was Parliament’s duty to do that.
The Conservative manifesto on which we were elected in 2017 contained a commitment to leave the EU and I have followed that commitment, voting for Article 50 and opposing a second referendum.
Remaining true to that democratic commitment is also the reason I voted against Mrs May’s Withdrawal Agreement in January. That deal seemed designed to keep Britain in a dark treacle of EU bureaucracy.
It established a separation between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. And it presented hard-pressed taxpayers with a £39billion bill — for the privilege of this divisive and never-ending backstop.
Now, with the Brexit clock ticking perilously close to midnight, I have decided to vote FOR the deal Theresa May will soon bring back to Parliament.
I do not believe there is any betrayal in my decision. It is one, I believe, that will be shared by many of the MPs who also voted down the deal just weeks ago.
No Deal would be disastrous for the UK and Europe. Big businesses would survive but many of the UK’s hundreds of thousands of small businesses would not.
They are the backbone of our successful economy. We have an overriding duty as Conservatives to protect them and the jobs they provide from No Deal.
I am in no doubt that the public are increasingly anxious about the catastrophic consequences of No Deal. This week, a waitress in my constituency asked me whether, post-Brexit, her family would be able to pay their household bills.
It was one of countless similar conversations among individuals, families and their communities.
Many are terrified about their futures and their country’s. It is our duty as politicians to act and speak responsibly to calm such fears.
None of this means those who voted to leave Brussels have changed their minds. They want a Brexit which works for everyone and which does not needlessly risk jobs and living standards.
Should Brexit not happen, voters will feel cheated and disenfran- chised by Parliamentary manoeuvres which frustrate the Referendum and keep the UK in the EU.
Such an outcome would spark a political crisis, potential civil unrest and political extremism, which has no place in British politics.
MPs know that if they again vote down the PM’s deal, with any positive changes it may contain, they will hugely increase the likelihood of Britain remaining in the EU.
Of course, most reasonable people will accept a postponement of a few weeks to the March 29 Brexit date.
But it seems far more likely that any delay to Article 50 would be much longer.
This would give time for the Remainers to force through a Second Referendum — based on a fudged question denying voters the clear-cut choice on which they voted in 2016.
So I believe a vote for the Prime Minister’s deal is now the only responsible option.
The alternatives are horrendous.
No deal risks economic chaos and plummeting living standards. Opening the door to remaining in the EU, or having another vote, will cause an unprecedented political crisis.
I believe our future relationship with Europe should involve Britain becoming part of Common Market 2.0.
This would mean our joining the European Free Trade Association alongside successful countries such as Norway and Switzer- land.
The UK would be out of the EU, out of the political union, the ECJ, the Common Fisheries and Farming Policies. We would have brakes on freedom of movement and much more.
But as EFTA members we would be part of the European Economic Area, safeguarding our businesses and jobs.
That though is for the next round of negotiations during the necessary transition period which will follow Brexit Day.
In the meantime, it is our responsibility as MPs and democrats to make sure we exit the EU on the terms of the deal which the PM brings back to Parliament.
Voting it down a second time will leave us all facing the stark choice of either the economic disaster of a no deal, or the political disaster of a Second Referendum.
Either option would be a betrayal of democracy for which the political classes would be damned by voters with devastating consequences.
- GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]